


Home

by Umbr_el_on



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fluff without Plot, Gift Fic, M/M, Pillow & Blanket Forts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-23 06:41:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30051459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Umbr_el_on/pseuds/Umbr_el_on
Summary: After a long week of work on the road, Jean finally comes home to Marco.
Relationships: Marco Bott/Jean Kirstein
Comments: 6
Kudos: 29





	Home

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Holdingbackrain](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Holdingbackrain/gifts).



> HAPPY BIRTHDAY! 🎉 You're such an amazing friend, I hope this fic is everything you'd hoped for because you absolutely deserve it! Thank you for giving me such awesome ideas to work with 💖

The moment he crossed the threshold into his house, Jean sighed and reached up to loosen his tie and unbutton his collar. He stared down wearily at the scuffed wood floor under his polished shoes as he slipped off and hung his jacket. Only once he could breathe and had his hands free, did Jean look up. Before he could stop it, a laugh bubbled past his lips at the scene in front of him.

Marco was on all fours, crawling out of the most unstable blanket fort ever created with his hair sticking up from the static.

“Welcome home, Jean!” Marco called out, grinning as he settled on the floor with his legs crossed and smoothed his hair down.

“Hi, Marco. What have you been up to?” Jean asked, a smile still tugging at his lips. He took a closer look at the sloppy pile of blankets, couch cushions, and pillows where their couch should have been.

Marco blushed, his expression so sweet that it was all too easy for Jean to forget the lonely, eternal week on the road that he’d just finished. “I was bored while you were at work, so I decided to build a blanket fort and leave it up until you got back. I have some surprises inside if you’d like to join me?”

Jean didn’t hesitate to drop down to his knees and shuffle closer, pecking Marco on the cheek when he was close enough. Marco just chuckled and ducked into the fort, which was just barely large enough to contain two full-grown men. There were things on the floor inside, but it was too dark for Jean to see what they were. Marco carefully moved them aside to clear out space for Jean. Childlike enthusiasm radiated from inside, drawing Jean in.

Marco was always so full of surprises, so patient and kindhearted no matter what life threw at him. Jean didn’t love being gone as much as he was, but it was all worth it to come home to Marco’s smile. He’d do anything to keep it there, whether it be traveling across the country for work or sitting on the floor in an unstable sanctuary of softness. Shaking his head to spare himself from going down a path of self-doubt or concern that often followed his thoughts about Marco, Jean crawled into the fort.

As soon as he was inside, Marco flipped a switch and a string of fairy lights came to life. The yellow glow they cast illuminated a closed laptop and pile of their favorite snacks, the items Jean had been unable to identify a moment earlier. Even better than those was the glow on Marco’s face, his features soft and warm and everything Jean could ever want. He was so taken aback by the planning that had obviously gone into this, he could do little more than let his eyes flicker between Marco, the lights, and the food.

“I missed you so much this week. The house felt so empty,” Marco whispered, answering Jean’s question before he asked it. “I wanted something special to be waiting for when you got back, something we could share.”

“ _ You’re _ something special, Marco.” The words slipped free before Jean knew they’d formed, but he wouldn’t have stopped them even if he could.

Now it was Marco’s turn to be caught off-guard. His freckles popped against his pink-tinged cheeks, eyes wide with flustered surprise that Jean couldn’t help feeling smug about causing. Opting to let Marco stew in his feelings for a moment, Jean picked up some of the snacks to look over. Most of it was junk food, ranging from Skittles and Doritos, to pretzels and jerky. There was an orange that had rolled off to the side for Marco, and a styrofoam cup that Jean hoped would have coffee in it. All of their favorites gathered into one convenient pile. 

Jean was eager to dig in, but he couldn’t quite shake off Marco’s comment about the house feeling empty when he was in it alone. For the second time since he’d come home, Jean spoke without thinking.

“Would getting a pet help you feel better when I’m gone?” Jean looked up at Marco, who was still off-kilter from their conversation.

“I…” Marco trailed off in thought before he refocused on Jean, nodding resolutely. “Yes, it would.”

Jean smiled, reaching over and taking one of Marco’s hands with his own. “In that case, why don’t we start planning for one? I’ve thought about it before, but since I’m home less often, I didn’t think I should be the one to press for it.”

The way that Marco lit up made Jean’s heart flutter. His wide smile and warm eyes were gorgeous, filling every corner of the blanket fort with joy. Jean was wrapped in it, held together and cradled by the indescribable pleasantness Marco exuded. He still wondered what he’d done to deserve such a bright spot in his life, but Jean learned long ago that he was better off enjoying every moment of it he had without fussing over the how and why.

“If it’s up to me, I’d really like a cat…” Marco offered a shy smile.

Jean snorted and smirked, fighting hard to get his response out. “A cat sounds  _ purr _ -fect.”

Marco can hit a lot harder than you’d expect, but not hard enough to interrupt Jean’s boisterous laughter.

“But should we actually get a pet? I’d feel awful getting one at the risk of it getting attached to both of us and losing one if something were to happen…” It was adorable how concerned Marco already was for this hypothetical pet they’d only discussed for a few moments.

The implication of anything happening with them made Jean’s hand twitch anxiously. He tried to manage it by picking up and opening the bag of jerky, focusing intently on peeling the plastic open and selecting a strip to eat. He took one deep breath to try and disguise his insecurity before speaking up again, still not looking up at Marco.

“Are you worried about something going wrong?” Jean felt his voice shake and resigned himself to the fact that Marco was sure to notice the waiver.

“No, that’s not what I meant at all!” Marco rushed out, reaching over and gently lifting Jean’s chin to lock eyes with him. “I fully intend to stick around, but I know many people don’t get pets together until they’re married.”

For the first time since he’d gotten home, Jean spoke with a great deal of thought behind his words. “That’s a fair point. We should consider getting that done first, sooner rather than later?”

“J-Jean, don’t joke around about... that,” Marco stammered, withdrawing his hand and snatching up the bag of Skittles to tear open.

“What makes you think I’m joking around?” Jean internally patted himself on the back for how quickly he’d resteadied himself and turned the conversation around.

“We’ve never really talked about this before, not seriously.” Marco had a point there.

Jean smiled as softly as he could, setting the bag of jerky down and reaching over to take both of Marco’s hands with his. Jean didn’t know if it was the exhaustion from being on the road for days, the romantic glow of the lights strung around the floor, the privacy of the blanket fort in their living room, or something else entirely, but he was compelled to take this long-overdue step with Marco.

“Maybe it’s time we start.”

Jean felt Marco’s entire being soften, saw the glassy sheen of unshed tears appear in his eyes and reflect the fairy lights. He felt the answer to his unspoken question hanging in the air between them before Marco’s lip moved. He saw a glimpse of their life together, of wedding bells and a cat and years in a happy home. He felt the years of work it had taken them to get here pay off.

“I think it is,” Marco whispered, so sweet and delicate that all Jean could do in return was lean over and press a soft kiss to Marco’s lips.

When he pulled away, Jean rested their foreheads together. Marco reached up and set a hand on Jean’s cheek, his thumb brushing over the stubble there. They lingered for a long moment, sharing breaths, until Marco’s stomach growled. Laughing, they separated as much as they could in such a small space, hands reaching back out for the snacks they’d discarded a moment ago. The conversation could wait until tomorrow, when they were rested and fed.

As he tossed a handful of Skittles into his mouth, Marco opened the laptop to reveal that it was already set up to play The Princess Bride. Jean smiled against the lid of the cup that did indeed contain coffee, just how he liked it. The Princess Bride was an old favorite of theirs, one they’d watched together more times than either of them would admit.

Jean narrowed his eyes and leaned over towards Marco, a playful glint in his eyes. “Just how much did you plan for tonight?”

“This is the last thing I had prepared. You ended up bringing more surprises to the table than I did, but I don’t mind.” Marco stole a quick kiss from Jean, pulling back with giddy giggles.

Jean just reached over and brushed a few stray hairs off of Marco’s face. He let his fingers trail down Marco’s cheek to dance along his jaw and neck before settling on his shoulder. Friendly, affectionate brown eyes and 97 freckles that Jean had counted on several occasions occupied all of Jean’s mind. The drive home and frustrating clients and cold hotel beds nothing more than a distant memory now that he was settled in and at ease and warm. He was  _ home. _

“I love you.” He exhaled the words as naturally as he drew in his next breath.

“I love you, too,” he gets in response, given as easily as the next blink of an eye.

Craving even greater closeness, Jean settled on his side and nestled his head in Marco’s lap. He reveled in the fingers that carded through his hair a moment later, soothing and gentle. Jean knew he wanted to have moments like this for the rest of their lives, these peaceful escapes from the rest of the world. Here, in the lap of his lover, in a blanket fort that replaced their couch, Jean knew he wanted Marco.

If the careful hands brushing over his cheeks were any indication, Jean knew that Marco wanted him, too.

“I think the movie can wait,” Marco whispered, leaning down to kiss Jean’s jaw.

Jean just hummed in agreement, allowing his eyes to slip closed and mind to drift off into the bliss of being safe and held and loved.


End file.
